


Let It Snow, Let it Snow, Let Me Crash

by akingman



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew POV, Im trying here, M/M, december-y fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 01:27:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21291362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akingman/pseuds/akingman
Summary: Andrew gets into a car crash Christmas night and meets someone rather interesting.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Kudos: 42





	Let It Snow, Let it Snow, Let Me Crash

**Author's Note:**

> Hey-o! I don't know what I'm doing but I promised myself that I'd try to write! So here we go, I guess!

Andrew hated the cold. He hated that his fingers were numb in less time than it took to pull out his cigarette pack and shake a cigarette free. He hated that everything was white like his favorite color but he still felt as numb as his red ears, nose and dry palms. He hated that he was in three layers and still the wind wrapped around every bone in his body. He had heard of the seasonal depressive disorder . How some people felt more depressed in winter. Andrew woke up and slept in a dark place called his mind. He was as cold on the inside as he was standing outside while flakes fell around him and wet his cheeks. He wanted to go back inside and lie in bed. The idea of smoking kept him rooted to the snow covered ground beyond the porch steps.

He heard the clutter of plates and silverware from inside the house. The noise of Aaron and Nicky fighting about something or other. And Katelyn’s soft voice trickling in to rouse them more. Andrew flicked the cigarette around his lips and paid no glance to the ashes as they got whisked away by a gust of wind. He almost missed South Carolina for its warm weather and southern hospitality. But the biting memories of medicine and doctors. Of psychologists and teachers poked at his thoughts. He could feel the cigarette between two fingers and looked down to confirm he still had time for a second.

“Hey, Andrew, you coming in?” Nicky asked.

Andrew turned towards his cousin and let the smoke cloud his vision from seeing Nicky's face. He watched his cousin and waited for him to give up and go back inside. For his cousin to stop waiting.

“Andrew,” Nicky said as he leaned against the doorway with the door wide open behind him.

“A minute,” Andrew replied with a grit of his teeth.

He turned back to the road and flicked his cigarette in a general direction and walked towards the house. Nicky started back in with a hand on the door and Andrew padded up the steps right behind him. They entered the house together but Andrew stopped to scuff his shoes on the mat to get rid of the snow. The house felt warm and turned the ice on his shoulders to water. It dripped down his black jacket and onto the floor. He heard the voices but louder, coming from the kitchen where they were all preparing dinner.

Andrew walked down the hall into the living room and took off his jacket. He set it aside on the arm of the single reclining chair, facing the coffee table and couch. He glanced at the dark screen of the flat-screen TV. The voices changed from gibberish to a symphony of laughter and he felt drawn to the sound. He entered the kitchen with a wave of something fond as he watched.

Aaron was holding Katelyn’s hand, kissing her cheek as they danced around the kitchen. Aaron held forks and knives in one hand and Katelyn held a plate in her free one. They circled each other with hands held as they took their time setting the large dining table. They covered the gray tablecloth with dinner itinerary.

Nicky watched Aaron and Katelyn while he remained stationed at the black stove. His hand whisking away at a pot as it bubbled to life from the heat. Andrew was an out of place character standing in the doorway. And watching all three of them move was like watching a family movie play out in front of him. He felt out of place, and yet he still let the warmth fill his chest and past the two layers he wore to keep the cold out. His face filled back with color and he stepped into the kitchen to take over Nicky’s job. Nicky raised his hands in defeat and went over to separate the couple who were kissing.

It was distant chatter and the music he could hear and there was also a buzz he could not understand. His heart beat in his chest and it could have been the heat that was causing an irregularity. He kept his back to his cousin, his brother and his brother’s date. Part of him felt the urge to look over his shoulder. Not to make sure if they were okay, but that nothing could creep up behind him. He should feel safe but Andrew knew danger was always there where he couldn’t always see it. Even in the safest of places he felt like he was a kid again.

The soup rose in bubbles and Andrew stirred them still as he heard the last of the clutter. He felt a hand on his shoulder and elbowed the person behind him with a curse. He turned to see Nicky’s guilty smile and shook his head at him. Nicky didn’t move so Andrew went around him. Nicky reached for him, only he stopped short when Andrew glared at his hand.

“Andrew. We’re missing one thing, for the meal,” His cousin said rubbing the back of his head, “Could you run to the store? I kind of forgot the turkey this morning and got distracted.”

Andrew huffed in irritation and glared at Nicky’s attempt to calm him. With his palms up, as if telling an animal to settle down. He brushed past his cousin and moved into the living room to put on his jacket once more. He looked around for the keys to the car and looked up as his brother stepped into the room a few feet away.

“I could come with you, y’know. Katelyn and Nicky can hold the fort,” Aaron said while shrugging.

His hands buried in the pockets of the jacket Katelyn had gotten him as a Christmas present. The dark green fabric matched the age of the tree that was set up. It was sitting in the corner with the remains of wrapping paper underneath it. From when they’d made a mess opening presents.

“No need,” Andrew said. “It’s only a twenty minute drive.”

“Okay. I’m sorry about the turkey, if you’re hungry we can eat early and finish off the rest later. Katelyn brought the wine we like.”

We. Aaron said that with no hesitation Andrew didn’t have the time to decide if he was going to ignore that remark. Instead, he found the keys he placed on the top of the fireplace and put them in his pocket. He watched his brother idle by the door, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to leave or not, so Andrew gave him one.

“I’ll be back. Don’t start drinking without me.” Andrew replied and stepped back outside into the cold.

It took years for Andrew to feel any kind of comfortable about speaking to his brother. He’d let Aaron go to be with Katelyn after college. And watched Erik go back to Germany as he stood alone, unsure whether not to continue the life he had. There were years where he was sure he didn’t want to live, remembering all the bad things that had happened to him.

Days where Nicky’s constant Skype calls and Aaron’s emails weren’t enough. Days like now where he should have felt the most about this day, only that he could not feel anything at all. A side effect of having been off the medicine he was once addicted to. Instead of highs and lows, Andrew felt nothing.

He got into his car. A rental he was paying for during the trip to Aaron’s house for their Family Christmas get together. And turned on the engine immediately to start warming up. He sat there in the driveway for what seemed forever. Listening to the fan breathe heat onto Andrew’s neck and the car’s windshield. He felt for his wallet and found Aaron’s in the cup holder and held it by one flap to look for loose bills. He found enough and looked at the windshield as the car started defrosting. It was snowing hard and fast and Andrew turned the windshield-wipers on so he could see out the front window.

The roads should have cleared by now. But by the time Andrew could see out the front he started onto the road, he couldn’t see where the road ended on both sides.

He drove on the right side of the road and felt for the road underneath his tires. The snow barreled on and he had to shift closer to the wheel to see where he was going. He turned left first, then straight for five miles before he took another left turn. Ten minutes straight after he turned into a road that led to a marketplace.

He parked the car and grimaced at the sight of slush and dirty footprints covering the store floor. He added to the mess and went first to the deli area, empty save for the few packages left. He searched through clear windows and found a turkey that was big enough for four mouths. And five including Nicky’s second stomach, while inexpensive. He paid for the turkey at the counter and wandered over to the alcohol isle.

Andrew always drank. When he started to drink early teen years to take an edge off the pain, Andrew knew it would be a hard habit to kick. He liked that he could feel better when he drank, how everything seemed different. The world seemed less cruel and the words people said and the things they did more interesting. He could waste away in his room and feel good doing it, and often it kept the nightmares at bay. He liked whiskey because it took more money out of his bank account. Wine because Nicky sent some whenever he left to be with Erik for some time. He knew it was because Nicky felt guilty not being there for him. Only, Andrew didn’t care. He knew Nicky, and especially Aaron, would leave him all the same.

He picked up a bottle of some white wine and took it to the nearest self checkout. He took both bags to the car and let the door hang open as he started a new cigarette. This one made his teeth feel like plastic but he breathed in more for the hell of it. He waited for the cigarette to burn to the filter before he tossed it aside and started the car. The silence felt weird so he put on the radio at a low volume. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

Ten minutes into the drive the light snowfall became a heavy storm and the roads became harder to drive on. The wheels of the car began sliding. He gripped the wheel harder as if that would do anything but he was lucky that there was no one else on the road. The wind picked up and Andrew lost his grip as the car skid over the edge of the road into a patch of earth. He turned the wheel to get back onto the road but didn’t see the oncoming headlights until it was too late. A moment later, and it was far too late, two cars collided and the radio went out.

Andrew’s eyes closed on impact but he couldn’t fight keep them open. The feeling of the air bag pressed against his cheek and the eerie quiet of night kept him awake. He forced one eye open to look around but a sudden headache appeared. A new strain on his neck and pain in his left ear made it hard to move.

For a while he sat there and let the pain come and go. He heard the whistle of the wind and the sound of his car or someone else’s car making angry sounds. He lifted his head in an attempt to survey the damage and felt both sides of his face explode in pain. He reached for his face but it hurt too much to touch.

With great painful effort he opened the car door on the driver’s side and pulled himself onto the ground. He sat on his ass in the cold and grunted. Ignoring the pain in his face and focusing instead on the pain from his knees down. The cold made all the pain tolerable and he remembered then that he had left his phone at the house. He pulled himself to his knees and looked over at the other victim.

The shitty thing one could call a car looked torn apart by the collision. The hood got crushed to the middle. Andrew could see that the occupant’s body and face had pressed against the steering wheel. And they weren’t moving. Andrew couldn’t make out the face but he hoped the driver had a phone or the ability to get them both help. It was the dead of night in the middle of the storm and no one was else was on the road except for them, for miles.

Andrew limped to the other car and went around to the driver side. At the window he opened the door and reached in to shake the man at the wheel.

He was a man dressed in sweatpants and a gray t-shirt. Black hair that looked colored as Andrew noted the dark color covering the tip of the man’s ears. It was a terrible job done. He shook the man by a shoulder again and lost his patience. So he pulled the man back and slapped his cheek with the numb back of his hand. He hoped nothing broke.

“Hey,” Andrew grit out between the buzzing of his head and the sound of the rental car crying out in the background.

The man didn’t stir so Andrew slapped and pushed and kicked until he got a response. The man’s whole body sprang to life with a loud start, mouth opening wide as the man grasped for air. He choked a little and felt around his neck with a hand before he startled, realizing someone was beside him. He glared at Andrew but Andrew wasn’t in the mood.

“Got insurance?” Andrew asked as he leaned against the top of the car with one arm.

The man spooked for a second and curled in on himself as he pulled himself away from Andrew as if he were fire. He looked around wide eyed the damage of the crash. As if it hadn’t happened a few minutes ago and he turned to look at Andrew with an accusatory and suspicious glare.

“Are you going to call the cops or what?” Andrew said.

The man shook his head, like an idiot he supposed, as he reached into the passenger side glove compartment. He was reaching for something so Andrew stopped him with a hand in case it was the man trying to dispose of evidence. Andrew wasn’t sure yet if this was an intended accident and if the man was looking for prey to murder.

“No cops,” The man said between short deep breaths. “Please, don’t call.”

Andrew wasn’t about to stick around with someone afraid of the police. But Andrew didn’t have many options and he didn’t want Nicky or Aaron freaking out in his absence. He was missing a nice big bottle of expensive wine.

Andrew noticed then in the flickering of the lights in the car the man was driving. That the accident wasn’t what caused the scarring in the man’s face. It was lines where he might of gotten cut with a knife. With burnt circles under one eye and bruises where they weren’t covered above the dip of his old, dirty shirt. There was nothing that screamed ‘innocent’ about him. Andrew could tell he was trouble. But.

“Can you move?”

“I don’t know.”

Andrew grew impatient and ignored the curious look on the other man’s face. He forced the latter out of the car with both hands and watched him fall to the ground like he had. The cold spooked him onto his knees and the blood coming from a cut on his hands colored the snow beneath him. He tried to switch his weight from his hands. He looked bothered by Andrew’s presence.

“If you aren’t going to call the cops,” Andrew said pointing his index finger down at the man, “You’re coming with me.”

Anger burned hotter than the pain in most of his body but he didn’t have time to inspect the damage of the car or his body. He needed to get to the nearest store. He wasn’t about to miss the only get-together for the next twelve months.

The man got to his feet and regarded Andrew with a far-away cool look. He appeared to be thinking before he closed the driver side door and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He stood an arms length away from Andrew.

“I’ll pay for the damages but don’t bring the police into this.” The man said.

Andrew didn’t feel anything. He wasn’t supposed to, and yet he was curious about why the man was so concerned about police presence. He could be a criminal for all Andrew knew. He could be escaping from some criminal act, or he was part of witness protection. Whatever it was, Andrew knew he wasn’t going to get answers from him. He shouldn’t care and he shouldn’t try to figure it out. He was to go home, eat a nice meal, drink some wine and go to sleep. In the morning he would get up early to pack his bags and head back to New York. Where his constant job and home-life was, with a cat he needed to take care of.

“Let’s go,” Andrew said because it was getting colder and soon it would be harder to walk and find help.

The man walked behind him and Andrew lead him in the opposite direction Andrew was going to get home. In the direction the man was going. In his empty pockets he attempted to warm his hands and bury them further for warmth. He pushed his face into the top of his coat to keep his nose from freezing off. He felt uncomfortable with a stranger at his back but he was too focused on getting the hell out of the scene to care.

They walked a few miles in silence before the stranger walked up along side him. Still at arms length until he stepped closer to ] Andrew’s. The man was wearing nothing but the shirt, sweatpants and a pair of shoes that he noticed had a hole in. He was shivering and Andrew realized he had three layers on and the other man had none. He wasn’t about to be nice to someone he didn't know but he didn’t want to in trouble for the car accident and murder.

Andrew shrugged off his jacket with a little grimace and shoved it at the man, who shuddered like a leaf. The cold bit their noses and colored their ears and fingers red. The man took the jacket out of Andrew’s nimble fingers and threw it on.

“Thank you?”

“What’s your name?”

“Chris.”

Andrew glanced at him in the corner of his eye and huffed. The way the man spoke was more than a little off. Andrew had no reason to believe anything he said. And the man annoyed that Andrew wasn’t reacting the way he had hoped. Chris had no reason to believe Andrew knew anything about him or that he was lying but Andrew wasn’t a naive person.

“Any reason to be on the road at this hour?” Andrew asked. He waved a hand in the air to point out the storm raging on, meaner and colder as they walked.

“Same as yours.” Chris said and looked forward.

Andrew sniffed and used the sleeve of the turtleneck he wore to wipe at his nose. He kept his eyes on the road to see any sign of oncoming vehicles. So far they had walked almost seven miles and there wasn’t another soul besides their own. They were about to give up and head back to their cars when a pair of headlights came towards them.

Chris stood still beside him as Andrew waved down the driver. The car slid to a stop next to them and a friendly looking older women rolled down her window with some trouble. She looked at them and Andrew could see she was well into her forties. She poked her head out the window and clicked her tongue at the young men in front of her. They were shivering from the cold in the middle of nowhere.

“Y’all alright?” She asked, baffled by the looks of them.

“Car accident,” Andrew said pointing at himself and then at Chris. The latter remained silent so Andrew went on. “We need a ride to the nearest open store. We need to call for some help.”

The woman frowned at them and then smiled a moment as she waved her hands at them in a motion to come forward. Neither man moved until she huffed at them and reached behind her seat to unlock the back car door.

“Come on now, I don’t bite! Get in, get in before y’all get frost bite! Lord, I can’t stand the thought of someone getting stranded out here. Get in now,” she said when she realized they weren’t eager to get into her car. “I’ll take ya where you need to go.”

Andrew motioned for Chris to get in first and didn’t miss the way he took a step back. He looked one second away from running away from the lady. But Andrew shoved him into the car seat and got in next to him. They sat thigh to thigh before Chris moved to the other side and held himself rigid against the other car door. Andrew ignored this and watched the women shift the gear and start driving. She turned the radio down from where it was before so she could speak to them over the music.

“What happened?” She asked looking into the mirror above her dashboard.

“Storm. Car accident. Bad one.” Andrew replied.

He glanced over at Chris and then stared out his own window. The woman let the conversation crawl to an end when neither of them offered any more information.

It felt like forever until they hit a gas station that had lights on. The woman let them out by the door with a fond ‘I hope y’all get home safe'. Before disappearing into the storm without a trace.

Chris entered the store immediately without a look back and Andrew followed after him to keep up. Chris took off the jacket and held it out for Andrew to grab. They walked to the counter where a bored looking teen stood. The kid had both hands connected underneath the counter. Andrew guessed he was texting. The kid looked up at their approach and floundered as he tried to look busy.

“We need the phone,” Chris said. “Please.”

The teen turned away from them and Andrew glanced around the store to see if there was anything of interest. Deserted save for the few people he imagined were the drivers of the cars by the gas pumps. He wrapped his jacket around his arm and looked over Chris’s rigid stance.

The man was a bit taller than he was, and handsome if Andrew let himself look close enough. The back of his neck covered in dark hair dye and the hair stood up from the cold and nervousness. His hands twitched as his side but otherwise he remained cool. He took the store phone and held it out into the open to offer it. Andrew took it and recalled Aaron’s number. He decided Aaron would be much calmer in this situation than Nicky so he dialed his brother’s number first. It rang three times and Andrew knew he was too busy to answer. He had to call Nicky instead.

Nicky’s phone rang three times before the reluctant user picked up on the other end. Andrew moved away from Chris and sighed when he heard Nicky’s cheerful voice.

“Yo, this is Nicholas! Who is this?”

“Nicky, it’s Andrew.”

“Andrew? Andrew, where are you? Was the store closed?”

“Nicky,” Andrew said, “I need you to come get me.”

“Where are you, what happened?”

“I got into an accident on the road, I’m fine,” he said before Nicky could freak out, “I need you to pick me up. There’s a gas station a few miles from the house, it’s a straight shot. Can you get here?”

“Yeah, sure, Andrew are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, get here.” Andrew walked up to the counter and stared the teen down, “Address?”

The teen squeaked an answer and Andrew repeated it over the phone to Nicky.

“Hurry,” Andrew said before hanging up. He walked towards Chris and tried to hand him the phone but the latter shook his hand and waved him off.

“How are you going to get out of here?” Andrew asked, curious. He couldn’t believe how weird this man was being. If Andrew tried hard enough he could forget and ignore, but he's invested now.

“I’ll find a way,” Chris said. He shrugged again and handed the worker the phone back. After, the kid went back to texting.

Chris reached in his pocket and pulled out a few bills. He eyed the selection of trail mix and paid for two bags. He handed one to Andrew and watched him open and dump the contents into his hand. Andrew ignored the look and filled his mouth. He was getting hungry. Damn, he needed to get home soon. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he missed and loved Aaron’s cooking.

They waited in more silence before Aaron’s car pulling in the parking lot. Andrew would have been more annoyed if he hadn’t recognized Nicky getting out of the drivers side. He rushed past glass doors to get to him. He hadn’t thought of putting on a jacket before he left the house.

“No jacket?” Andrew asked with sarcasm.

“Andrew!” Nicky yelled and he held out his arms as if he were going to hug Andrew. They fell to his side when he was in distance to touch him.

Nicky’s eyes moved off to one side to eye Andrew’s companion. He looked out of place and awkward standing there. Nicky glanced back at Andrew and smirked before he reeled in whatever he was going to say. Considering the look Andrew was giving hostile. Like he could hear his thoughts without saying them.

Andrew pointed a thumb at Chris and looked over Nicky’s shoulder to see if he had brought Aaron. Either he had made the wise decision to leave Aaron out of this, or both Aaron and Katelyn were sharing the back seat. He looked back at Nicky and raised an eyebrow at him in question. Nicky answered by shaking his head.

“Aaron doesn’t know or anything. He’s busy,” Nicky said with a smirk. “Anyway, what happened? Where’s the car?”

Andrew pointed at Chris again and fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Crashed into me on the road. The reason why we’re not having turkey tonight.”

Chris glared at Andrew and looked at Nicky.

“It was an accident.”

Andrew huffed and shoved at Nicky’s shoulder to get him moving.

“Let’s get going. I’m hungry and I need a smoke. We’re going.”

Andrew pushed Nicky out the door and looked back as when he noticed something was missing. Chris stood a few feet away with his arms tucked behind his back and his eyes staring at the ground to one side. He looked at their direction until Andrew stopped and waved at him.

“You coming or what?”

“Huh?”

“You’re not going to the police,” Andrew reminded him, “And you’re not getting away after wrecking my car.”

“Accident,” Chris said with a frown. “Storm.” He supplied as if mocking him.

“Either stay here and wait for the cops to arrive,” Andrew said flicking his gaze over Chris’s shoulder. The kid kept glancing back at them and whispering into his hand where the phone was.

“Or, you can come with us and leave as soon as you’re cleaned up and we exchange insurance information. Your choice.” Andrew shrugged and turned away when Nicky noticed the they got left behind.

Nicky got in the car first and Andrew got into the passenger seat. Chris got into the back seat and sat with his back straight. He kept looking out the door and to the front where Nicky and Andrew sat trading curious looks.

“His brother is a doctor,” Nicky said glancing over his shoulder at Chris.

“To be,” Andrew grumbled.

“He’ll patch both of you up good. We’re also about to eat if you’re hungry,” Nicky said.

“Sure, why won’t we offer him some money and a key to the house too?” Andrew drawled the remark while pulling his legs up and resting them onto the dashboard.

From there both he and Nicky could see the cuts through his pant legs. There was pain wherever he focused more on. Where the feeling in his ankles felt like a sprain and the twinge in his wrists like fire.

They got to the drive way and Andrew looked away from the windshield. Katelyn and Aaron were standing in the open door with their arms linked together. He looked away so he wouldn’t feel anything. Not regret for being more careful and driving slower, or agreeing to go out in the first place. Not guilt for ruining a rental car or that he might have died if the crash had been worse. He felt nothing. Or at least, he tried.

As he got out of the car he noticed that Aaron had walked down the porch to the drive way. Katelyn stayed by the door to watch. Andrew met his brother half way and stared him down.

“You could have died,” Aaron said.

And because it had been years since the drama. And years where Andrew thought he lost his brother, Andrew let his brother hug him. It didn’t happen often but Andrew could understand the fear on Aaron’s face. Aaron felt that he almost lost the person who protected him for so long.

“I didn’t.”

“Whose that?”

Andrew pulled back last and looked behind him where Chris stood by the car. He was watching the scene play out like the innocent bystander he was. Or not so innocent.

“The asshole I crashed into,” Andrew said. “Patch us up, will you?”

Andrew lead everyone back into his house and cared too little to spook Katelyn as he got close enough. She still shrunk backward into Aaron’s chest when he was close enough. They followed behind him with Chris at their backs. The door shut and Nicky was holding his hand out to shake Chris’s.

Chris stared at him as if he were unsure why the gesture was being made.

“I don’t bite,” Nicky said, “Much. I’m Nicky! Your name?”

“Chris.”

“Chris,” Aaron said. “Follow Andrew. I need to get my supplies.”

Andrew disappeared into the living room and waited for the crowd to follow. Nicky was too curious to not scope out the situation and worried about leaving Andrew alone. He got all possessive when one of them got hurt. It lead to many fights when Andrew and Aaron only wanted personal space. Now, Andrew could admit to himself that he missed Nicky’s annoying voice. He missed Nicky popping in and out like a shadow.

Chris stood as far away from Nicky and Andrew as possible, looking into a corner of the room. Andrew paid him no mind and tried to ignore Nicky’s weird looks. Aaron came back with a kit and started on Andrew. Andrew removed his turtleneck to reveal a black t-shirt and a black tank top underneath. He felt Chris's eyes on him. Aaron scowled as he squeezed and pressed ointment onto blossoming bruises.

Aaron tended to his cuts and bruises, many along his hands where he tried to shield his face from the impact. Nothing broke or even sprained and Aaron told him to sit back and rest. Andrew put his turtleneck back on and Aaron waved Chris over for his turn.

Chris stood still for a minute before Aaron got impatient.

“Are you going to sit or not? I don’t have all night and we were about to have dinner.”

Chris thought some seconds before he sat down on the couch in front of Aaron’s hunched over position. He watched as Aaron got out clean supplies and as he gestured at Chris.

“Where does it hurt?” Aaron asked with the air of a professional nurse, distant and composed.

“I don’t know,” Chris said sounding unsure.

“Alright. We’ll start with this.” Aaron picked up a cotton ball and pressed it to the cut on Chris’s forehead. He glanced once at the other terrible marks on the man’s face.

“Don’t move,” he said even thought Chris sat still and pliant as blood got cleaned off his face.

Andrew watched from the corner of the room and heard Katelyn setting the table. He watched Chris stumble through some answers to questions that were completely innocent. He grew irritated when he knew something wasn’t up.

“Did you get those scars from a different car accident?”

“Andrew,” Nicky said in warning.

“No,” Chris said right before Andrew came up with a more colorful sentence. “But it was an accident.”

Aaron glanced up at his face and snorted. Andrew didn’t look like he bought the answer either. There was definitely something off about this man . Andrew wasn’t going to be able to sleep until he got more answers. Also, he needed some wine.

“Nicky, wine,” Andrew said and Nicky complied by running into the kitchen to fetch the bottle.

Aaron continued working on Chris until he was good enough to approve. Chris got up as if to escape and Andrew stopped him in his tracks by holding an arm out before he could get around him.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

“Home.”

Andrew clicked his tongue at him.

“No. You crash, you pay. Until we can get back to our cars you’re not getting away. You can stay here.”

“Andrew,” Aaron protested, right as Chris made a noise in the back of his throat.

“No,” Chris said looking like a deer in headlights. He looked on edge and Andrew wanted to see how far he could push. He doubted the other could break considering the scars.

“Eat, sleep, and in the morning we head back. Then you can leave,” Andrew replied and Aaron didn’t speak up again.

He packed up his things and left the room as Katelyn appeared. She eyed Chris and Andrew before trailing after his brother. Andrew paid her no mind as he watched Chris struggle to come up with an excuse. He acted like a skittish child with many secrets and Andrew wanted to pry him open to see them all. It had been a while since he’d felt anything but bored. It would be a worthwhile event.

“Dinner!” Nicky called from the kitchen.

Andrew stared Chris down, unflinching, and flicked his hand.

“Dinner,” he said and entered the kitchen.

**Author's Note:**

> The first part is always the worst, tbh. But at least I know where I want this to go! So! Thank you for reading!


End file.
